For current volunteers

We've collected all the information you need as a valued volunteer for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust on this page. You can also find our latest volunteer news and updates, and make sure you're subscribed to volunteer emails.

Volunteer handbook and Volunteer Code of Conduct

All our volunteers will be sent a handbook when they register, but you can also download the handbook below. The handbook provides key information about volunteering with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and what you can expect.

Our Volunteer Code of Conduct provides clear guidelines around what is expected when volunteering to allow you to undertake your role to the best of your ability.

Read our volunteer handbook

Volunteer Code of Conduct

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has 12 Golden Rules for Safety.

These form the foundation of safety for all staff and volunteers and are the underlying expectations at all times.

Please familiarise yourself with these and use the 20-20-5 initiative to try to reduce the number of low-level slip/trip/fall/collision type injuries that can occur.

If you would a hard copy to carry with you when you are volunteering please speak to your volunteer manager or pick one up from the office/Nature Discovery Centre you volunteer at.

12 Golden Rules

We care what our volunteers think and how they feel.

We value the compliments, comments we receive and take formal complaints about the way we work very seriously. If you would like to share a compliment, comment or make a formal complaint, the policy below gives you full details about to do this and the steps taken with the feedback received.

Volunteer feedback policy

We have an extensive volunteer training programme that is open to all our active and registered volunteers and voluntary trainees. The training programme reflects the diversity of volunteer roles we have at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and offers courses that will fulfil the training requirements you may need for certain roles, or to perhaps develop your skills further.  

The courses are free for our active and registered volunteers with the exception of First Aid and Outdoor Incident Management Courses, these courses are only available for volunteers or voluntary trainees that require the training for their role and where the cost of the course has been agreed with your volunteer manager.

The training courses can only be booked by active and registered volunteers. If you send us a booking enquiry please can you tell us your volunteer role, where you volunteer and who your volunteer manager is.

Spring Summer Volunteer Training Programme 2025

Thank you very much for all of your volunteering support. Please let us know when you have volunteered by completing regular timesheets. You can find the timesheet template below, or your volunteering manager can provide an email form or paper copy as preferred.

N.B. If you are a practical conservation volunteer, there is no need to complete a timesheet as each task day has a task day register, with volunteering activities recorded on this.

Volunteer Timesheet